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Will Teletubbies Travel?

April 05, 1998

In Business This Week

WILL TELETUBBIES TRAVEL?

MEET TINKY WINKY, DIPSY, LAA-LAA, AND PO (left). They're Teletubbies, and they'll make their U.S. TV debut Apr. 6 on PBS. The characters have ignited a Beanie Babies-style mania in Britain. If they catch on stateside, it could mean big bucks for Hasbro, Scholastic, and Warner Home Video, which will peddle Teletubby products. Handleman, a CD distributor, is rumored to have a 47% stake in the U.S. licensor of Teletubbies, and some investors are betting on the craze via that stock. But it's unclear how American parents will react to Teletubbies, which are aimed at kids as young as 12 months.EDITED BY KELLEY HOLLAND